Charles-hager



0. HAGER.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 430,801. Patented June 24, 1090.

y' f UNITED STATES jPATENT OEEIOE.

OHAELESHAGEE, OE BUFFALO, NEw YORK, AssIeNOE or Two-Turnos To HENRY EAETHIG AND LEONARD E. OEOOKER, OE SAME PLAOE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 430,801, dated J une 24, 1890.

Application filed October 8, 1888. Serial No. 287,535. (No model.)

To all whom it may con/cern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES HAGER, of the V city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented anew and useful ImprovementI in Railway-Switches, of

which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to an improvement in railway-switches.

Owing to the grinding action to which the :o treads Of locomotive-drivers are subjected by slipping upon the tracks in starting heavy trains a groove is gradually worn into the tread corresponding to the width of the head of the rail, forming two annular rims on the i 5 tread, which bear against opposite sides of the rail. These rims oder considerable resistance to a forcetending to draw the wheels OE the track, or changing the course thereof, so that in switching from one track to anzo other the guard or guide rails of the switch are sometimes strainedto such an extent that they are crowded out of place and torn from their fastenings, thereby defeating the action of the switch and rendering the wheels liable z 5 to jump the track and cause serious accidents. The object of my invention is to construct the switch in such manner that the wheels of the locomotive in passing over the switch will 3o be elevated, so as to allow the ridges or rims of the treads to clear the sides of the rail-head and permit the guard or guide rails to easily deflect the wheels from the main track to the siding, or vice versa, as the oase may be, and 3 5 thus relieve these rails from undue strain.

The invention consists of the improvements which will loe hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis 4o a top plan view of a railway-switch provided with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the main rails, showing the elevating-block secured thereto. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a rail, showing the grooved tread of a wheel resting upon the rail. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the grooved portion of the tread elevated and the outer rim thereof running upon the elevating-block.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts 5o in the several figures.

In the drawings my improvement is represented as applied to a switch of the construction shown and described in Letters Patent of the United States, No. 327,220, granted September 29, 1885.

Arepresents the continuous rail of the main track; A the pointed rail thereof, and A2 the main-track rail, which is arranged in line with the pointed rail A.

B is the side-track rail, which forms a lat- 6o eral or diverging continuation of the maintrack rail A2, and B is the pointed rail of the side track. These rails are all rigidly secured to the cross-ties.

D D represents the movable guide or guard 6 5 rails arranged between the main-track rails A A2 in front of the pointed rails A B', and made movable in such a manner that either one or the other guide-rail may be placed against the adjacent pointed rail and compel 7o the wheels to run either on the main track or siding. i

E E represent elevating-blocks arranged on the Outer side of the main rails A A2 immediately in front of the points at which the side rails B B meet the main rails AA2. The end portions of the elevating-blocksE E are inclined and slope from the top of the rail toward the base thereof, the highest portion of the elevating-blocks being flush with the 8o tread of the rail, as shown in Figs. 2 and 1l.

In the position of the guide or guard rails shown in Fig. l the switch is set for the side track. As a pair of wheels pass over the switch in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1the outer rim e of the wheel adjacent to the elevating-block E rides up the incline of said block, as represented in Fig. 4, thereby lifting the groove e of the wheel above the head of the rail, raising the outer rim e iiush with 9o the top of the rail and permitting the guide or guard rail D on the opposite side of the switch to draw the wheel diagonally over the rail onto the pointed rail B ofthe side track.

In this manner the rims c of the wheels are lifted flush with the tread Of the rails for a sufficient time to enable the guard or guide rails to deflect the wheels upon the siding without subjecting said rails to undue shocks 0r strains. roo

Vhen the switch is set for the main track and a pair of wheels run over the switch in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l, the outer rim of the wheel adjacent to the side track B will be lifted out of engagement with the head ofV the rail, and thereby prevent the wheel from being deflected onto the side rail B. It will thus be seen that when the switch is set for the siding the elevating-block E relieves the guide or guard rail D, and that when the switch is set for the main track the block E relieves the opposite guide-rail D. In passing over the switch from the siding to the main track and along the main track in a direction contrary to the arrow in Fig. l the guide or guard rails D D are unaffected, and the wheels merely ride over the elevating-blocks E E and again drop onto the main rails.

In passing over the switch along the main track in the direction of the arrow the block E adjacent to the side rail B elevates the wheel at this point, and thereby prevents the outer rim e thereoi` from striking the tread of Y the side rail B and cutting a groove in the The elevating-blocks E E are recessed or grooved on their inner sides, so as to fit against the side of the rails, and are secured to the latter by bolts, as shown, or by other means.

I claim as my invention- The co1nbination,with the lixed main rails andthe Xed side rails, of movable guard or switch rails arranged on the inner side of the main rails and stationary elevating-blocks secured to the outer side of both main rails opposite the front portions of the movable guard or switch rails, said elevating-blocks being flush with thetrearl of the main rails and inclined toward both ends below the tread of the rails, whereby a Wheel is caused to ride up on said elevating-blocks in passing over the switch in either direction, substantially as set forth.

Witness my hand this 28th day of September, 18.88. v

CHARLES HAGER.

Witnesses:

v JNO. J. BoNNER,

FRED. C. GEYER. 

